Climate change is the most widespread & complex problem humanity has ever faced! There is no time to waste and we need to turn green talk into profound green action. This is the intention of the GREEN TIMES.

What is your school, or your child's school, doing about their waste footprint? Do not throw your hands up in despair if you are not personally involved in making school waste awareness happen.
Many schools are indeed doing great work in this line. I often say that the kids are far more aware than us adults - WE are the problem generation.
The Waste Wise school's … [Read more...]

The walkways at the Beachwood Mangroves in Durban were upgraded for World Oceans Day last month by means of recycled plastic, including thousands of milk bottles and plastic bags. This is the day when people all over the world celebrate 'Healthy Oceans - Healthy Planet' and promote the prevention of marine litter.
The initiative was a collaboration between Plastics|SA (the … [Read more...]

Cyclers and spectators are dropping less waste! This was discovered this month during the annual Cape Town Cycle Tour.
Two teams of clean-up crews recruited from local townships near Ocean View ensured that it was collected for recycling at various water and spectator points, the start and the finish, hospitality part, and refreshment points.
The race also saw the … [Read more...]

“South Africa has what it takes to become one of the world leaders in reducing the amount of litter that ends up in our oceans. Not only do we possess some of the most beautiful, diverse and dramatic coastlines in the world – teeming with a wide variety of different marine animals – but we also have private individuals, companies, research institutions and government … [Read more...]

“The focus of waste management in South Africa is changing. No longer is the emphasis on the disposal of waste, but rather on avoiding its generation and minimizing and recycling the waste stream wherever possible.”
This was the key message conveyed by Lisa Parkes, Marketing Manager of PETCO, at a workshop held during Wastecon in Somerset West this month.
“The law … [Read more...]

Are South African businesses and municipalities ready to make sustainable waste management decisions?
The new National Environmental Management Waste Amendment Act, Act 26 of 2014 (NEMWAA 2014) published on 02 June 2014, is facilitating a shift towards new developments and better processes in the industry – something all organisations should be aware of.
At this year’s … [Read more...]

Did you know that the manufacturing process involved in producing new printer cartridges requires the burning of fossil fuel, specifically oil or natural gas?
It takes on average 3 litres of burned oil to create just one cartridge shell. In SA there are more than 70 million cartridges produced annually. About 75% of used cartridges end up in the landfill, with resultant … [Read more...]

Zero plastics to landfill by 2030 is the ambitious target for caring companies in this country. One of the new kids on the plastic recycling block is Polyco, working on the recycling of Polyolefin plastic.
Addressing Polyco members and the media during their AGM, Jeremy Mackintosh stated that Polyco has already succeeded in carving out a name for itself since it was created … [Read more...]

A colourful and buzzing atmosphere filled the Bloubos valley and spruit area, south of Johannesburg on Saturday when Miss Earth South Africa semi finalists spent the morning with around 150 Generation Earth students from across Gauteng, families and friends who came out and spent the morning in the winter sun.
In honour of National Environment Week which will be celebrated … [Read more...]

Segolene Royal, appointed French energy and environment minister this month, said she planned to create 100,000 jobs in the next three years with a drive for green growth.
Royal told a news conference she wanted to accelerate investment in renewable energies like wind, solar, biomass and marine energy, as well as in insulation of buildings.
In coming days, Royal will make … [Read more...]

Did you know that after ten years in the industry almost half of all our PET beverage bottles are now recycled? That is 1.9 billion bottles per year diverted from the waste stream.
The PET Recycling Company (Pty) Ltd was registered on the 3rd November 2004 and their first set of Directors included the late Rob Rodger, Bob Naidoo, Syd Carter, Roger Thomas, Mandla Tisani, … [Read more...]

From the 3rd of July 2014 (International plastic bag free day), Greyton aims to become South Africa’s first town to phase out single use plastic shopping bags. This is a drive initiated by Greyton Transition Town (GTT) and supported and assisted by Hayley McLellan from Rethink the Bag. This is just one of the many creative waste reduction programmes run in Greyton.
Green … [Read more...]

Water is our most important resource yet the facts are simple: the world’s water is in crisis. This is why the next LCA Spark Talks live event will tackle one of the most important yet complex environmental elements – fresh water. Live on stage on 9 March 2019, a number of speakers will share th... ... See more